Ink ribbon feeding device



Juiy 29, 1947. J. WEIMONT 2,424,725

INK RIBBON FEEDING DEVICE Filed June 17, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 29, 1947 INK RIBBON FEEDING DEVICE Joseph Weimont, Bogota, N. J., assignor to A.

Kimball Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 1'7, 1944, Serial No. 540,789

The Present invention relates to ink ribbon feeding devices for printing machines, and is illustrated as adapted for use in price tag marking machines.

An object of the present invention is to provide novel means for feeding a ribbon in one direction, and automatically reversing the direction of feed of said ribbon when the end of the ribbon is reached, so that a new inked surface of the ribbon is always presented to the printing head.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a ribbon feedin device which may be secured to any convenient part of a machine with the ribbon threaded remotely therefrom to the printing station of said machine.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear hereinafter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a top plan view,

Figure 2 is a front view,

Figure 3 is a rear view,

Figure 4 is a top plan view with the spools removed,

Figure 5 is a front view with the spools removed, and

Figure 6 is a front view with the spools removed and the mechanism set for moving the ribbon in the reverse direction from that shown in Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings, a pair of identical ribbon carrying spools I0 and II are provided, each spool having a pair of end disk plates l2, l3, l4 and i5, rigidly secured to the ends of the hubs I6 and H in the usual manner. The hubs l6 and H are each slotted at one end thereof as indicated at l8 and I9, 50 that when the spools l0 and H are placed on the shafts 28 and 2|, the slots H3 and I9 receive and engage the pins 22 and 23 projecting outwardly from the hubs 24 and 25 at the base of the shafts 20 and 2|. The spools are held rigidly on the shafts 20 and 2| by a bridge plate 26 having slots 21 and 28 engaging annular grooves 29 and 30 in the shafts 20 and 2|. The bridge plate 26 locks the spools l8 and II on the shafts 20 and 2| to insure rotation of the spools with the shafts.

The shafts 20 and.2| are journalled for rotation on a base plate 3| as indicated at 32 and 33 in Figure 4. Securely mounted on the shafts 20 and 2| and rotatin therewith are a pair of ratchet Wheels 34 and 35, which are adapted to be engaged by pawls 33 and 31 pivotally mount- 1 Claim. (01. 101-336) ed on pins 38 and 39 which extend through slots 48 and 4| in the base plate 3|, and are secured to a reciprocating bar 42 which slides in a hori- Zontal depression 43 in the base plate 3|. The bar 42 may be connected in any suitable manner with the operating mechanism of the printing machine to cause reciprocating movement of the bar 42 in timed relation with the operation of the printing head. Preferably the bar 42 makes one complete reciprocating movement for each printing stroke of the printing head, and such movement is timed to take place while the printing head is raised from the platen. If desired, the reciprocating bar 42 may be provided with a slot 44 engaging a limit stop 45 in the base plate 3| to limit the reciprocating motion of the bar 42.

A flat spring 46 secured to the bottom of the base plate 3| by a screw 41 is turned upwardly at each end 48 and 48 to press against the periphery of the ratchet wheels 34 and 35 thereby acting as friction brakes for the shafts 20 and 2|.

After the spools Hi and H are placed on the shafts 28 and 2| a loop of the ribbon R is threaded over a pair of studs 55 and 5|, and through the slots 52 and 53 in the arms 54 and 55 of the carriage 56. It is then threaded around the studs 51 and 58. The studs 50, 5|, 51 and 58 are all rigidly secured in the base plate 3| and project outwardly in the path of the ribbon l1. After the ribbon is threaded around the studs in the base plate 3|, it is then carried to a remote part of the printing machine and threaded over studs 56 and 68 suitably mounted to guide the ribbon over a platen 6| which is aligned with a printing head or type bar 62.

The carriage 56 is slida-bly mounted on the late 3|, being provided with slots 63 ridin on the studs 51 and 58 to guide and limit the motion of the carriage. The bottom of the carriage 56 supports a strip 64 of spring steel which extends laterally in both directions beneath the pawls 36 and 31. If desired, the carriage may be urged toward the plate 3| by a spring 1| which serves to hold the strip 64 in proper alignment with the ratchets at all times.

In Figures 2 and 5 the parts are illustrated in such manner that the spool |0'is the take-up spool and the spool is th pay-01f spool, so that the ribbon R travels in the direction of the arrows from the spool H to the spool HI. In th operation of the device, when the bar 42 moves to the left from the position shown in Figure 5, the pawl 31 rides up over the ratchet Wheel 35 without turning it; but the pawl 36 being depressed by the spring 65 engages a tooth of the ratchet wheel 34 and rotates the shaft 20 and spool ID in a counter-clockwise direction so that the ribbon l l is moved intermittently in the direction of the arrows, to bring a 'fresh printing surface of the ribbon under the type bar 62 on each movement of the ratchet wheel 34. However, when the bar 42 moves to the right, the pawl 31 is prevented from engaging the ratchet 35 by the strip 64, and since the pawl 36 rides up the ratchet 34 without turning it, there is no movement of the ratchets or of the ribbon on this stroke of the bar 42. When the take-up spool l6 has reeled up most of the ribbon from the pay-01f spool I I, the direction of travel of the ribbon is automatically reversed as now described.

For this purpose the ribbon is provided with suitable means, near its respective ends, for actuating the carriage 56 to reverse the direction of feed as hereinafter described. For example, as illustrated herein, attached to the ribbon R at reasonable intervals from the ends thereof which are attached to the hubs l6, I! of the spools i6 and I I in the usual manner are eyelets 66 and 67, the eyelet 56 being near the end of the ribbon which is attached to the spool H and the eyelet 67 being near the end of the ribbon which is a tached to the spool Ill. Each of these eyelets are somewhat thicker than the slots 52 and 53, in the arms 54 and 55. Thus, when the eyelet '66 approaches the slot 53, itcannot pass through it, so it moves the carriage 56 to the left to theposition shown in Figure 6.

In this position, the left hand end of the strip 64 is between the pawl 36 and the ratchet 34, but the right hand end of the strip 64 has moved out of the way of the pawl 3! which is now free to engage the ratchet 35 under th influence of its spring 68. Thus when the bar moves to the .right, the pawl 36 will ride up over th ratchet Wheel 34; but the pawl 37 will now engage the ratchet Wheel 35 and move the ratchet wheel and shaft 2| in a clockwise direction, which of course reverses the travel of the ribbon as shown in Figure 6 so that the pay-off spool l I now becomes the take-up spool. When the bar 42 moves to the 'left the pawl 36 is prevented from engaging the ratchet 34 by the strip 64 and since the pawl 31 rides up the ratchet 35 without turning it, there is no movement of the ratchets or of the ribbon on this stroke of the bar 42. The take-up spool II will continue to reel in the ribbon ll until the eyelet 61 near the other end of the ribbon R comes in contact with the arm 54 of the carriage 55. The eyelet 67 then moves the carriage 56 to the right so that th direction of travel of the ribbon is again reversed as has already been described.

It will be understood that the invention may be variously modified and embodied within the scope of the subjoined claim.

I claim asmy invention:

An ink ribbon feeding device for printing machines comprising, a base plate, a pair of shafts mounted on said base plate, a ribbon carrying spool mounted on each of said shafts, a ratchet wheel mounted'on each of said shafts, a reciproeating bar mounted on said base plate, a pair of feed pawls mounted on said bar and actuated thereby and adapted to engage said ratchet wheels to rotate said ratchet wheels in opposite directions, a movable carriage mounted on said base plate, means carried by said carriage and extending beneath said feed pawls and having surfaces engageable by said pawls for positively preventing engagement of one 'or the other of said pawls with said ratchet wheels, and means carried by said ribbon for moving said carriage .to reverse the direction of travel of said ribbon.

JOSEPH WEIMONT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 1,594,800 Spear Aug. 3, 1926 1,766,626 Glagow June 24, 1930 1,937,145 Gollwitzer Nov. 28, 1933 1,971,568 Kranz Aug, 28, 1934 2,122,518 Deane et a1 July 5, 1-938 2,297,541 'Dugdale Sept. 29, 1942 

